Sunrise at Kings Canyon
Sunrise at Kings Canyon
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Sunrise at Kings Canyon
Sunrise at Kings Canyon
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Joey
Joey
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
At a kangaroo rescue in Northern Territory, Australia.
First View of the Outback
First View of the Outback
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Father and Son
This has to be on of the best songs of all time, Cat Steven/Yusuf’s ‘Father and Son’…
Father
It’s not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy.
I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy,
To be calm when you’ve found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you’ve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.
Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
It’s always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
Father
It’s not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy.
(Son– Away Away Away, I know I have to
Make this decision alone – no)
Son
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them They know not me.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.
(Father– Stay Stay Stay, Why must you go and
make this decision alone?)
Hungry Joeys
Hungry Joeys
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
At a kangaroo rescue somewhere between Alice Springs and Kings Canyon, kangaroo joeys eat dinner. These kangaroos were rescued after their mothers were killed, and will be taken care of until they are big enough to fend for themselves, then will be set free.
View more photos of my trip to the Red Center here–>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257053&id=692785536&l=b364099980
Uluru Sunset
Uluru Sunset
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
View more photos of my trip to the Red Center here–>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257053&id=692785536&l=b364099980
sun sets fire to uluru
sun sets fire to uluru
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
View more photos of my trip to the Red Center here–>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257053&id=692785536&l=b364099980
Uluru Sunrise
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
View more photos of my trip to the Red Center here–>
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=257053&id=692785536&l=b364099980
A Father’s Perspective
I arrived back to the apartment from the Red Center to receive this e-mail from my Dad, his account of my parents’ first week in Sydney with me. It hasn’t been edited, or read…
–ζ——δ——ζ–
The following are the words of Franz St. George.
Australia: 4/12- Arrived in Sydney at 6:10 AM, tired and cramped from the tight space on the plane. Impression of the flight?: comparing the SAS flight to Stockholm in November to this United Air flight to Australia, this flight was definitely several stars under the SAS flight. During the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, I noticed that the trees looked tropotypical (a word I just coined), some palms and some very tall, somewhat open types ( maybe acacia?). It was also strange to have the driver on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road.It was overcast and humid, temp in the mid 70s. We we lucky and were able to check into our hotel room, downtown Sydney, 10min walk from the harbor and the Opera House. We met Peter outside the hotel at noon. It was wonderful seeing him walking the sidewalk towards us. He’s lost just a little weight and he looks great! We hung out in the room for a little while and then walked down to the Circular Quay (harbor), touristy, but very cool (temp wise, the sun came out and it got very warm). Lots of street performers; watched several groups of aboriginal men in their traditional garb and face-body paint playing didgederoos (sp). We had lunch on the water and made our way to the Opera House and through the Royal Botanical Gardens-hundreds of large flying foxes!. Each of these places, along with the sights on the water front were incredible by themselves.All of this is inside Sydney! We got back to the hotel room at around 4:30, rested and then walked to the train station and took the train to Peter’s college, MacQuarie University. We walked through campus to his apartment. Due to the Easter 2 week break, it was dead quiet except for the incessant bird sounds (lots of large yellow cockatoos (sp) and other tropical types of birds). At the apartment, one of Peter’s roommates, Vasya, had prepared a Russian-type meal for us. Peter’s roommates are very interesting. Vasya and his wife, Jenya (sp) live in one room. They are from Moscow. Heet, a Japanese man from Tokyo lives another room. All three are graduate students. Heet is currently writing his Ph.D. dissertation in environmental law-Peter says he is constantly sequestered in his room. Jenya is a Russian-educated lawyer and is studying environmental law and Vasya is studying business administration. He already has a Ph.D. in laser physics, but says that there are no employment opportunities for his skills in Russia. What an incredibly intelligent, interesting and motivated group that Peter is fortunate to be living with. Vasya prepared a three-course meal of salad, stuffed pancakes, mozzerella, tomato eggplant and salmon. After dinner Peter walked us back to the train station and Nancy and I made our way back to the hotel room in downtown Sydney-collapsed into our beds. It is now Monday morning and I’m finishing this post. My impressions: Peter seems quite self-sufficient and confident here. He did a marvelous job of showing us the highlights of the Circular Quay area and showing us how to navigate using the train system. What an incredibly diverse cultural place Sydney is. Besides the causcasian and native Australians, we saw many different asian types of people; probably from Korean, Japanese, Chinese to Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. Many Indian people, folks from Africa. It seems that the asian population represents a very large fraction of the local population. All of the different languages was astounding. I was reminded of that scene in Star Wars where Han Solo goes into an intergalactic saloon where so many different species of beings were wetting their whistle. The flora and fauna inside Sydney is astounding! One of those places where, without knowing the political and social problems you think you could easily live. A paradise for those just arriving!
The previous was written about a month ago so some of the details of the Australia visit are somewhat fuzzy. The following are some of the stronger impressions and memories I have. Monday was a chill day where we got some of our energy back. Later in the afternoon Peter took us to see the shopping area, QVB, where it was interesting to see the Aussies spending their money. Not too different than a US upscale mall. I’m still amazed at the diversity in the population here. Its also very obvious that this is a world-class city-the stores, fashions, traffic, 24 hour activity. Also, a tipoff for me is how upscale the women dress.
On early Tuesday morning Nancy and I grabbed our light weight luggage negotiated to the train station and met Peter at the Central train station to take the 2hr train ride to the Blue Mountains (amed for the blue hue of the gas given off by the eucalyptus trees. It was a wonderful train ride through the Australian country side-semi tropical flora. We checked into our rooming house, somewhat austere, but clean and adequate for our needs. At lunch Peter had roast kangaroo. I had a sample-it was very delicious and tender. We bought a bus tour fare good for two days. They take you to different drop off/pick up points and you can explore. Our major stop of the day was the Rain forest area. The tram ride over the very deep valley was cool. But even cooler was the small train ride down to the bottom of the valley. Without exaggeration the angle of descent was about 45 degrees! Wire mesh enclosed the open cars so that people wouldn’t fall out. Wow! It was very cool (literally) at the bottom of the valley, very moist too. We saw lots of flora-the only fauna was birds-very colorful! At the end of the day we ended up in the small town of Leura, where Nancy decided that she’d like to do some shopping the next day.
The next day we jumped back on the bus and for the first stop we went to the chocolate factory for some snacks-yum! We explored some of the other stops and really enjoyed the Leural Falls stop. The long trail of cascading waterfalls gave Peter plenty of photo-ops so he kind of split off for a while. We ended up in Leura for shopping-really didn’t find anything and had a bit of a snack there. At the end of the day we finished our wonderful visit to the Blue Mountains and took a train back to Sydney. We were scheduled to meet Peter’s friend Reese at a Belgian bar for mussels. We got to this incredibly packed bar where they were waiting for us, jammed into the bar for a seat and found that they ran out of mussels-shoot! Well, some other time. I drank plenty of beer-had a beer with my son-very cool kind of bonding experience-our first beer together! You had to be there…
Thursday was a chill day…. We went down to the aquarium and saw some cool sharks, fish, manta rays, etc. Huge tanks with glass tunnels through them for people to traverse and view the ocean life from within the tank.
Friday-the big day! We met Peter at the McQuarie train stop and walked to his apartment. Heet, his room mate was going to make lunch for Nancy, Jenya , Peter and I. He had a special cooktop set up on the balcony to heat the oil he was going to use for the tempura-style cooking. He cooked us several different kinds of fish and vegetable that we thoroughly enjoyed. We had great conversation and a great time. Later Peter took us on a walk through the Aussie neighborhoods and through a remote wooded area. We were searching for lizards. Didn’t see any, but we had a great time! He really knows his way around this area. Later we took a train back to Sydney. We went to the Sydney Opera house to see the dance production Push. Two dancers, man and woman-incredible.! What a wonderful performance. Being at he Opera House on the water front was special. This is an incredibly beautiful building and location. Its located in the city at the edge of the botanical gardens and on the water front. During the intermission Peter and I went outside and looked over the low wall into the water. Such a beautiful sight the city was with all of its lights reflecting on the water! Hey, the taxi rides to and from the Opera House from our hotel were an incredible experience. I don’t think that there are traffic laws for taxis in Sydney. This was more exciting than a carnival ride. These drivers wear racing gloves-I swear that they are juiced! Anyway, the Opera House was an experience of a lifetime!
Saturday-my first big time real, professional rugby game- the Sydney Waratahs against the Western Force from Perth. Peter arranged for these incredible seats-front row, just a few feet from the action. The crowd was juiced, the players were juiced, I was excited for action and big hits. We were lucky to be sitting next to some guys that had been players and were willing to explain the action and rules to us. Man, American football seems soft compared to how these guys play. Lots of big full speed hits, many, many runs. A significant amount of time is spent tackling where the hit does not end play, they keep pushing and grabbing and hitting. Its almost like wrestling during the tackle-I can’t believe the stamina these guys have. There are very big, stout players and smaller, very quick players. The hits are viscious-I saw lots of blood-play on!! There is no roughing the kicker, I saw kickers spun around like pinwheels! What an experience with Peter! Thank you Peter!
Sunday-off to New Zealand with Nancy and Peter.
My thoughts? The part of Australia we experienced was beautiful and awesome. Really nice, diverse people. Sydney is a wonderful experience. So may things to do and see. The quality of life here must be good. Lots of parks, beach, city entertainment, museums, restaurants, etc. Peter did an incredible job creating an itinerary that gave us a taste of many aspects of life here. Peter, you really impressed me with your resourcefulness and independence! I’m so proud of you-what you do, who you are, how you think… Dude, thanks for making our trip such a special experience. We just wanted to see you and you made it so much more!
Picton–>Wellington. Parents–>Eugene. Peter–>Sydney.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about NZ, and I’ve kind of run out of steam and excitement for writing about it. I do have some cool photos and stories and such, so I’m gonna press on and wrap it up below. Then I’ll write about the first week with my parents, probably in just one post, then FINALLY finish the post on my time at Reese’s place. Ok…here goes nothing…
–ζ——δ——ζ–
Morning came much too quickly in Hanmer Springs, and once again I was faced with the prospect of vacating my warm bed for the freezing room. Ugh, that’s one thing I don’t miss about NZ. Anyways, this B&B was different than the others in that our breakfast was brought to our rooms, which was pretty cool. If I remember right I had scrambled eggs and salmon, oh so good.
The parents and I spoke about what we were gonna do for the day; the hot springs were on the agenda, as well as swimming with the dolphins. Our whole trip in NZ had been incredibly rushed, so we decided to bag those ideas and just head towards Picton.
We said our goodbyes to the hosts and got on the road, stopping briefly at a wool shop in Hanmer. I picked up some sweet wool/possum gloves-nothing better than New Zealand wool!
On the way over to Picton we were told to stop at the small coastal, tourist-saturated town of Kaikoura. The drive to Kaikoura was relatively uneventful. As we neared the town I saw a ‘Scenic Viewpoint’ sign and directed Dad towards it. We pulled out into this small parking lot with what seemed like a water reservoir, and an incredible view was laid out in front of us. A beautiful, intensely-blue bay to our left, with a backdrop of gray mountains. In the center was the city of Kaikoura, with the ocean to the right. Just incredibly spectacular.
The view
LOVE this shot!
The town of Kaikoura was pretty cute, just maybe four or so main streets. We stopped off at a seafood place on the main drag, where Dad and I had crayfish salad (crayfish in NZ is lobster…). While we waited for our meal I decided to cross the street and frolick in the New Zealand ocean for a bit. Man was it cold! But I had to touch it, yah know, so I could say I did. I picked up a few cool rocks for myself and Oma and headed back for lunch.
The lobster was good but it had nothing on our dungeness crab. I’d say the mussels were my favorite part of the meal, they were pickled or something. We pressed on, stopping only once at a place that was recommended to us for its carrot cake. Man was it good, all different kinds of seeds and a thick cream cheese frosting. It was a nice old lodge-style place, right on the New Zealand beach.
Ah, my crayfish/lobster salad...
After a few hours we finally arrived in Picton in darkness. The hosts of the bed and breakfast were very nice, with the husband coming from South Africa. (In my opinion, the most disgusting accent ever. In case you wanted to know…). They were wonderfully warm people; she took care of the bed and breakfast full-time while he helped part-time, the other time going to his building of a boat.
Upon entrance to the bed and breakfast stairs to the second floor were directly on the right (where the rooms resided), with the great room to the left and kitchen straight ahead. The great room was decorated in much the same was as the Greymouth bed and breakfast, an antique sort of feel( i.e. dark woods, like mahogany, old books and copper trinkets, and a slight musty smell). The rooms were furnished in a bit of a lesser fashion than the rooms previously, but it was still comfortable and I got my own room again. SCORE!
After messing around on my computer and blogging a bit we decided to head out for some grub. We ducked into a small, cozy Irish pub and found ourselves a table. I had a wonderful steak, and sat back to enjoy it while a hippie called ‘Panda’ played a few tunes on his guitar. He was originally from America but had lived in NZ for a while. When he was just casually conversing he sounded legitimately New Zealander, but as soon as he began to sing it dropped away and America was back.
His tunes were fun to listen to; stories told through song in a smooth voice that would at points drop into a Louis Armstrong-like growl. We waited until the end of one of his tunes and peaced out of the joint. Tomorrow was to be an early morning as we were taking the ferry from Picton to Wellington. I had to get some good rest before that eventful day!
–ζ——δ——ζ–
I awoke around 6:30 or so the next morning feeling terrible. Not sick terrible, just ‘ew, this is disgusting’ terrible. I quickly packed my things and headed downstairs for the obligatory ‘family-style breakfast’ that I was quickly growing tired of. I don’t like to talk in the morning. Or eat. Or be awake. And that doesn’t mesh all too well with the whole bed and breakfast scene. I forced down some fruit and had another wonderful meal of salmon and scrambled eggs. We excused ourselves from the table relatively quickly, for we had to finish packing and get to the wharf in time to catch the ferry.
Before we left the hostess blessed us with a basket of muffins. At this particular bed and breakfast they had a special ‘Muffin Club’ where the hostess baked muffins and gave each visitor their own helping of muffins. To join the Muffin Club one had to take a picture of themself at home or somewhere interesting and send the photo in. The scrap book was pretty impressive, pictures from all over the world and people in all different kinds of situations eating their muffins. It was an interesting and fun idea, but with customs being so incredibly tight in Australia (the Australian quarentine lady actually took my shoes that had some New Zealand dirt on them and washed them for me, handing them back to me ten minutes later sparkling clean) I really didn’t want to chance it.
We pushed off from what was to be our last bed and breakfast and drove a few minutes towards the ferry. We arrived and Dad attempted to drop off the rental car (which took a little while due to the dent that it suffered while in our care), then we checked our bags and bided our time until departure.
After an hour or so of waiting, boarding the ship and nestling in our own private lounge area in the club section, the boat started to move. And guess what? I was nervous. Yep, of course. It was a ferry, so it was a pretty big ship, but I have thrown up on a boat before (yeah, boat…not ship. still, it gets me nervous), and seeing the ‘Ocean Sickness Bags’ didn’t help the situation at all.
Club Area
I walked outside of our club area and onto the deck outside. Conditions weren’t favorable for photography (too sunny) but I decided to shoot anyway to pass the time. As I was shooting a man with binoculars sidled up next to me, and we struck up a conversation. After about fifteen minutes of talking we were friends.
His name was Jeff, a Floridian who worked for NASA. We talked about New Zealand and Australia, Lord of the Rings, Obama, Bush, NASA and its funding, birds, photography, ultimate frisbee; we covered pretty much everything. Later I exchanged e-mail addresses with him, and we’ve exchanged a few letters since then.
Later on I found myself outside on the deck, without my camera, overhearing a ferry worker mention the words ‘dolphin sighting.’ I sprinted around the deck, through the hatch and inside to our club area, grabbed my camera and sprinted back outside. At this point there was a crowd around the railing. I found myself a spot and scanned the ocean. After a few moments two or three began to jump, leaping in perfect arcs before slicing back into the water with the slightest of splashes. There would be quiet, then all of a sudden one would rise, then another, and it would set of a chain of them rising. There were times when I could see them speeding just below the surface of the water. They were so playful and cute, it was wonderful! I took a bunch of shots, and had one successful capture. I’m pretty proud of it, it’s difficult to time their jumps!
Dolphins!
–ζ——δ——ζ–
I forgot to mention this in the previous post, but while we were in Hamner Springs our hosts spoke to us about swimming with the dolphins, and told us an incredibly remarkable episode in which the dolphins demonstrated their intelligence. Our hostess spoke of the dolphin handlers, and how she heard one of them ask a woman if she was pregnant. Taken by surprise, the lady confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Apparently the dolphins crowd around pregnant women, protect them, and guide them through the ocean. How remarkable is that? The handlers have picked up on this, and now have the ability to point out whether a woman is pregnant or not.
On a different excursion the dolphin handler asked another woman if she was pregnant, and she replied, “I most certainly am NOT!” Months later they received word from the woman that she was in fact pregnant, but hadn’t known it at the time…
–ζ——δ——ζ–
The scenery was quite beautiful. We were sailing out of an inlet meaning there was land on both sides of us. Much of it was grassy hills, but there were green forests magically dotted with red trees, rock formations, beaches and lavish vacation houses. I snapped a ton of photos and headed back in to catch some some shut-eye.
The ferry's route...
The sea started to roll the ship a bit, and we were rocking. I was seriously nervous for a while of getting sick, but I kept my eyes on the horizon, then fell asleep.
After a few hours we finally pulled into a harbor, the city sprawling out in front of us. We docked, departed, and caught a shuttle to our hotel, Museum Hotel. It was a fancy, old-fashioned place, with beautiful New Zealand young women dressed in black waiting at the counter for us. We arranged for my wake-up call at 4:00am the next morning, dropped our bags off and headed out for some food.
We walked around for a bit in Wellington and found a place that served bagels, similar to Humble Bagel minus the hippy atmosphere. I usually wouldn’t bring up such mundane details, but this was HUGE. Bagels really haven’t made it across the ocean to New Zealand and Australia. Reese was just telling me that only in the last two years or so have you been able to get a bagel in Sydney, and I hadn’t been able to find one, save one restaraunt in the Mac Center, since I’ve been here. Apparently some American was in Wellington, couldn’t find a good bagel, so he decided to start his own bagel place. Ah, it was so tasty.
We had an afternoon in Wellington and didn’t really have anything planned. I had read about this place called Karori Sanctuary on the ferry. It looked pretty interesting, as it was a sanctuary for native flora and fauna. We decided to check it out, so we hopped on a bus and headed up the hill.
We came up to the sanctuary and paid. The lady made me check inside my bag to see that I didn’t have any outside seeds or rodents (yeah, there’s most definitely a MOUSE IN MY CAMERA BAG. Ugh..). We made our way to the entrance and saw an interesting fence that ran the whole length of the sanctuary, all the way up the steep hill and out of sight. It was made of a tightly-woven mesh, and on the top there was curved metal-the only way I can think to describe it is a large, upside-down gutter made out of sheet metal. This was to keep any outside animals such as cats and possums from climbing in.
The following is from Wikipedia.org…
The most crucial aspect of the sanctuary is a pest-exclusion fence - specifically designed to exclude fourteen species of non-native land mammals ranging from possums to mice - that encircles the 8.6 km perimeter of the Sanctuary. Construction of this fence was completed in 1999 and all fourteen species of mammalian pests within the perimeter were then eradicated. This predator proof fence is of great conservation significance – being a world first. In terms of its meeting conservation goals Karori wildlife sanctuary has met with considerable success thanks to the effective design of the encircling fence. As of 2006 the fence has been successful in excluding all but the smallest species – the house mouse.
Upon entrance it just seemed like a regular park. There was a beautiful lake/reservoir with a red gazebo on its shore. As we got deeper into the sanctuary and down into the forest area we began to see a plethora of lifeforms of the avian variety. They were all over, flying above us, singing. Some were large, others tiny, but all with songs of megaphone-like volume. We walked along a trickling stream with barely any of the midday sun penetrating the thick rainforest. Birds were dropping seed encasings around us. It was quite spectacular.
The Gazebo and Reservoir
We didn’t, however, see any lizards or kiwis, which was disappointing. I was hoping to see a wild kiwi in Australia, but hey, there’s always next time (and there WILL be a next time!) The minutes ticked away towards 5:00, and we knew we had to end our excursion and exit this paradise. The lady who took our money warned us that if we weren’t out by 5:00 we would be locked in, and we weren’t too excited about that proposition.
Fern Tree in Karori
After Karori we parused the streets of Wellington a bit, stopping in at an All-Blacks shop where Dad picked up a sick shirt. At this point the tummies were rumblin’ again, so our mission was grub. I had my heart set on one last meal of New Zealand lamb.
Downtown Wellington
We found a nice-looking place called Zabbibo, the restaurant of famed New Zealand cook Adam Newell. The dining room was above a chic bar/lounge area, and we settled in for our last New Zealand dinner. We ordered tapas, which was the chef’s specialty. They were absolutely incredible. I really can’t explain it, but I think I may have a picture somewhere.
Parents at Zabbibo checking out the cook book.
The dining room. Yeah, it filled up later...
Tapas! Those calamata olives were SOOO good!
My main course was some kind of NZ fish, so tender and delectable. I also had an incredible dinner salad, which turned out to be one of my favorite dishes of the night. The parents bought the chef’s cookbook and had him sign it, but the next day left it in the hotel… ;(. We finished off the meal with a nice chocolate dessert.
The fish...scrumptious!
At this point it was getting late, so we headed back the hotel, stopping to get some bagels for the morning. We just chilled in the hotel room, our last night together for months. I flipped on the tele and up popped Jon Stewart and the Daily Show! In NZ! I thought that was pretty cool. Dad and I watched the second half of a rugby game, then capped the night off with a little Seinfeld.
It seems pretty simplistic and unprofound, but one of my favorite memories of my parents being here was my father and rugby. From the first day I saw them we watched rugby on tv, and to groan and gasp at the hits with him was so meaningful, as if we were reforming some carnal bond that had gone unquenched for too long. The Waratah rugby game was so intense, and it was great experiencing it next to him, remarking about the hits, different rules, and how our football players, namely Jonathan Stewart, would match up against them. Then looking at the rugby merchandise, us both buying All Blacks shirts, and catching the random game on tv with him; for some reason it was all somehow poweful, nearly sacred.
I said my last goodnights to them, kissed them both, and settled into my bed with Russell Brand’s My Bookie Wook. Morning was to come soon…
–ζ——δ——ζ–
The familiar and demonic sound of my phone alarm was jarring, but I awoke quickly and packed up my things. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and applied deoderant, all in a seemingly drunken fashion. I kissed my parents goodbye, hugged Dad, and let myself out of the room. I haven’t seen them since (save a Skype session).
A weathered, unshaven taxi driver picked me up oustide of the hotel, liberating me from the frigid Wellington morning. He drove around the harbor, and across the bay I could see New Zealand’s largest city collectively sleeping, a few golden lights sprinkling the hillside. We arrived at the International Terminal, I thanked him, and trudged away with my bags.
After an hour and a half of checking in, going through customs and boarding, I was finally on my way back to Australia, back to Sydney, and back to the life I had been leading since February 11, 2009.
Sydney from the air.
A Mother’s View
While my parents were here I asked them if they could complete a homework assignment for me. My assignment to my dad was to write a blog post about the first week of my parents time in Australia, and my mom’s was to write about New Zealand. Well, yesterday Mom sent me her blog post, and here it is below. None of the content has been changed. I actually only have read the first paragraph. Uh-oh…
The following is the writings of Nancy St. George.
Peter asked Franz and I to be his guest bloggers and write about our trip to the southern hemisphere. Franz is to write about our week in Australia and I will describe our week in New Zealand. The first lesson I’ve learned about being a blogger is , keeping notes during the trip is extremely important. Details are harder to recall when you’ve been home for a month. Well maybe I’mdescribing bloggers over the age of 50! Thankfully we haven’t returned our travel books to their rightful owners yet so I can come up with some names and places that are stuck somewhere in the recesses of my brain.
I know Peter breathed a sigh of relief when we boarded the plane in Sydney for the two hour trip to Christchurch on the southern island of New Zealand. He did an excellent job of planning a wonderful itinerary for our week in Australia and this part of the trip felt more like a vacation for him. Or so we all thought until we pulled out of the airport parking lot in our rental car. Who ever decided that New Zealanders should join most of the world by driving on the wrong side of the road, and that every time you reached for the turn signal the windshield wipers would come on. Try figuring out which lane in the ‘round about’ you should be in while someone is yelling, “Dad! Move to your left and the windshield wipers are going full speed.” Quite a stressful beginning to the more relaxing part of our trip. Oh yes, and the maps seemed to be written backwards also. How many times did we have to circle back to get to the road we wanted. That was my doing and after much exasperation on the part of all three of us Peter was named navigator for the next day. I have to admit he did a better job than me but I’m sure he learned from my mistakes, and we did have to circle back a time or two.
Franz had done a wonderful job setting up accommodations for this part of the trip. Our first Bed and Breakfast was “Coastal Cliffs” where we were the guests of Glenda and her husband Rick. The drive up to their home reminded me of the zigzag streets of San Francisco. Every turn is hairpin and the addresses all seemed to be hidden. We did arrive safely and the view from the cliffswas unbelievable as was Glenda’s garden. It was autumn there and her garden was still lush and beautiful. I jealously noticed the variety of plants she could grow in the ground that we would treat as exotics or houseplants! The agapanthus were just past their bloom so I couldn’t tell if they were my favorite deep,dark blue.
After two days in Christchurch area we headed out for our trip across the island via Arthur’s Pass. Finally! straight roads without much traffic. We were all thrilled to able to relax a bit in the car. Actually Peter and I relaxed as Franz was our lone driver. I had planned on doing some of the driving but quickly changed my mind early in the week and remained as navigator! Arthur’s Pass was made as a shortcut through the southern alps for the settlers in the 1800’s who wanted a quick way to reach the west coast and the gold fields that were discovered there. The scenery was spectacular, glacial mountains, green green flats with grazing sheep, dry riverbeds and sunny skies. Our destination on the west coast was Greymouth, a small community that was originally a gold and coal mining area. We expected to be greeted with chilly, rainy weather as the west coast was billed as the wet and rainy side. The sun gods were with us though and we enjoyed the warmth of the sun that seemed to follow us on this trip. Our stay atGreymouth was at “Oak Lodge Homestead”,a Bed and Breakfast run by Alastair and Shirley. Now this stay was purely New Zealand. Alastair used to own a huge sheep farm that he ran by himself. He sold it a few years ago and they bought the B&B from its previous owners. They still have some sheep and Alastair does a bit of farming. Peter has posted some pictures of this stay which all of us decided was definitely a favorite stop and one where we could easily stayed 3 or 4 more days. Our next destination was not in our original itinerary but we were convinced by the locals that it was a stop not to be missed. We headed north along theTasman Sea to the small ocean side town of Punakaiki. The highlight was limestone stacks of rock that looked like pancakes jutting out from the beach. It really was interesting and we enjoyed a few hours relaxing there enjoying the scenery and doing a little shopping at the tourist shop..
I ‘m realizing that this is starting to read like a travel log and you can buy books for that so I’ll move on and say that all three of us loved New Zealand and the friendly people, slower pace of life and incredible scenery. We did spend a lot of time on the road because we wanted to see as much as possible, but this left us without a lot of time to explore each of our destinations in depth. Franz and I have decided that we will return to New Zealand as a 25th anniversary trip. We’ll go during their spring and make it a garden tour. The gardens we did see were lovely and I’m sure there are many more hidden away that are open to the public for tours. We have three years to plan and save and look forward to another wonderful trip together. Peter has asked if he can come too and I think he is joking but there were wonderful photo ops. for him and it would be nice to have a garden photographer along! So… although I enjoyed reminiscing about our trip while I wrote this, being a blogger is a bit of work. I appreciate all of your writings Peter and maybe between the three of us we’ll have a good diary of our trip together “down under.”
“Shredded Weed-Taking the fun out of marijuana”-Slate Magazine
Just stumbled upon this article linked from the Huffington Post. It relates well with my paper on the legalization of marijuana, and is super-interesting, in my view. Take a gander, and leave your comments/reactions, especially if you are ’socially conservative-minded’…
Oh, and for my family out there, I’m not a pothead; I just find this interesting. Thought I’d clear that up…
the following is from Slate Magazine, http://www.slate.com/id/2219152/?from=rss
Shredded Weed
Taking the fun out of marijuana.
By William Saletan
Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009, at 9:04 AM ETMarijuana plant
We’ve taken the caffeine out of coffee, the alcohol out of beer, and the smoke out of tobacco. What’s next?
Taking the fun out of pot.
GW Pharmaceuticals, a British company, has just requested European approval of Sativex, a “cannabinoid pharmaceutical product.”What’s that? Do I hear you snickering at your keyboard? You think this is a backdoor way of legalizing weed?
For shame, says the company:
Sativex is a cannabinoid pharmaceutical product standardized in composition, formulation, and dose, administered by means of an appropriate delivery system, which has been, and continues to be, tested in properly controlled preclinical and clinical studies. Crude herbal cannabis in any form—including a crude extract or tincture—is none of those things.So there. Sativex isn’t pot. It’s a carefully refined derivative: “Once the plants have matured, they are harvested and dried. GW then extracts the cannabinoids and other pharmacologically-active components … [to] arrive at a pharmaceutical grade material.” Patients are further expected to regulate their intake to separate pot’s approved effects—relief of pain and spasms—from its unapproved effects:
By careful self-titration (dose adjustment), most patients are able to separate the thresholds for symptom relief and intoxication, the ‘therapeutic window’, so enabling them to obtain symptom relief without experiencing a ‘high’.
Bummer, eh? The company knows exactly what you’re thinking:
Why not just let patients smoke cannabis?In GW’s opinion, smoking is not an acceptable means of delivery for a medicine. We believe that patients wish to use a medicine that is legally prescribed, does not require smoking, is of guaranteed quality, has been developed and approved by regulatory authorities for use in their specific medical condition and is dispensed by pharmacists under the supervision of their doctor.
That’s a sensible approach. From the standpoint of medicinal as opposed to recreational use, it certainly makes more sense than letting everybody grow and smoke the herb, with all the resulting variability, fraud, and side effects. But GW’s anti-pot evangelism goes further:
GW has never endorsed or supported the idea of distributing or legalizing crude herbal cannabis for medical use. In both our publications and presentations, we have consistently maintained that only a cannabinoid medication—one that is standardized in composition, formulation, and dose, administered by means of an appropriate delivery system, and tested in properly controlled preclinical and clinical studies—can meet the standards of regulatory authorities around the world, including those of the FDA.And don’t even think of breaking in and stealing the raw goods:
GW’s cannabis plants are grown under computer-controlled conditions in secure glasshouses at a secret location in the UK. … The facility is situated in the South of England but for clear security reasons we do not divulge the precise location.
In your wildest dreams, did you imagine that a recreational drug could be so thoroughly, piously sterilized? But here it is. First came Cesamet (a “synthetic cannabinoid”), then Marinol (also synthetic). Only one pesky side effect has remained: Cesamet produces “euphoria in the recommended dosage range,” and Marinol causes “easy laughing” and “elation.” We can’t have that. So the quest to “separate the thresholds for symptom relief and intoxication” continues. According to GW, delivery of Sativex as a spray “enables patients to titrate (adjust) their dose to achieve symptom relief without incurring an unacceptable degree of side effects.”All of which underscores Human Nature’s basic question about the war on drugs. Namely: What do you mean by drugs? A war on cigarettes or on nicotine? A war on caffeinated but not alcoholic beer? Legalization of “cannabinoid medication” but not cannabis?
Drugs can be, and are being, re-engineered every day. Nicotine and caffeine appear in new forms. Cannabis is an herb, then a powder, then a capsule, and now a spray, with significant chemical adjustments along the way. How do you fight an enemy that keeps changing? How do you recognize when it’s no longer your enemy?
Every feat of re-engineering challenges our moral and legal assumptions. In the case of Sativex, two positions are under attack: the left’s lazy tolerance of recreational marijuana in the guise of legalizing medical marijuana and the right’s opposition to medical marijuana on the grounds that it’s just a pretext. By refining, isolating, and standardizing pot’s medicinal effects, pharmaceutical companies are showing us how to separate the two uses. Are you for symptom relief or getting stoned? That used to be a fuzzy question. Now it’s concrete: Do you want the reefer or the spray?
(first posted on May 28, 2009…)
Pictures from Candys
Last Saturday I had a great time at the dance club Candys with Reese and the gang. It was some guy’s birthday…not really sure who. Met a bunch of cool people and made some good friends. (Namely Ashleigh!)
Reese was excited about the $8 jugs of beer.
Myself, Reese, Liam, Lucas, Tez and Matt
I think this is my all-time favorite pic from Australia so far. With Reese and Jono.
Ashleigh, Jenna and Michelle
Oh Jono...haha.
His hands were goin' up! Jono with Ash and I talkin' in the back ground.
Ah, Tez and Liam. So good!
Kings Cross shooting seals busy street | The Daily Telegraph
Last night I was at a club in Kings Cross called Candys. I had heard much about Kings Cross as it’s the red light district. Prostitution, violence, the lot. Stories of stabbings and fights all came to characterize this place for me before I had set foot on its streets.
During the day its just like any other street, but after midnight it turns into a different place. We exited the club at about 1:45 or so to find the streets FULL of club-goers. As we strolled along the sidewalks, making our way to a bus stop we passed one man flat on his back and another man crumpled up by a tree with a crowd around him. I didn’t see it, but apparently his face was drenched in blood.
After being ditched, Ashleigh and I caught a bus around 2:00am to head back to Pennant Hills. (To be fair to Reese, we weren’t maliciously ditched, more like passively ditched. We didn’t keep up with the group, focusing on our conversation instead…) Shortly after we left the following took place. Note that the Kings Cross train station is in the picture below, the start of my experience in the Cross…
Kings Cross shooting seals busy street
May 17, 2009 09:00am
POLICE sealed off part of a busy street in Kings Cross last night after pursuing a hooded gunman they believe had shot another man twice in the leg.
Officers chased the gunman down Bayswater Road after the shooting near Darlinghurst Road before losing sight of him around 2.40am.
A search of the surrounding area for the man was unsuccessful, police said.
Paramedics were called to the scene and the injured man was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
A crime scene was established and a number of witnesses interviewed while forensic examinations were conducted.
Crime scene … Police in Kings Cross after last night’s shooting. Pic: Gordon McComiskie
via Kings Cross shooting seals busy street | The Daily Telegraph.
Fern Tree, Karori Sanctuary, NZ
Fern Tree, Karori Sanctuary, NZ
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Trekkin’ to the Outback-Uluru!
During the two-week Easter break many of my friends travelled all over Australia, and to New Zealand and Fiji. I was excited for my parents to come, but it also brought up a bit of frustration. I really wanted to explore Australia during that time, but I also wanted to be my parents’ tour guide and show them how I’d been living for the past two or three months. I expressed these feelings to them, and they offered to pay for a trip during the first week of the break, and for the second week I would accompany them to New Zealand. This felt like the best of both worlds, so I set out to plan my trip.
My goal was to get to Uluru, a rock sacred to the Aborigines in the direct center of Australia (pronounced Ooh-lah-rooh. Also known as Ayers Rock).
If you can't read it, the small yellow thumbtack with text next to it is Uluru.
Uluru--stunning ain't it?
I headed to the campus’ travel agent and queried about flights and costs and such. Turns out that a return ticket to Alice Springs, the city that one must fly in to to see Uluru, cost between $750-800 Australian dollars during the break. With the two-night tour costing $450 AUD, it was a bit overboard.
I decided to reschedule for a different weekend, one that was in less of a holiday time-frame, which would bring the flight prices down. That different weekend is next weekend. I leave on May 22 and return May 25. I depart from Sydney at 9:50am and arrive in Alice Springs at 12:45pm. I then spend the night in Alice Springs and head out to Uluru the following day.
The following is the Itinerary…
HIGHLIGHTS
- Aussie swag’ option is available for passengers wishing to “sleep under the stars”!
- Full rim hike and camp oven dinner at Kings Canyon
- Uluru sunset with sparkling Australian wine
- Uluru sunrise and Uluru base walk
- Permanent campsites at Kings
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Alice Springs or Uluru to Kings Canyon
Departing Alice at 12.00noon, we travel through a variety of outback scenery including vibrant red dune country and the craggy ranges of Central Australia. One of our rest stops is the Aboriginal-owned Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse with its excellent art gallery. Settle into our secluded campsite near Kings Canyon with comfortable permanent twin-share tents (yes, we do have decent toilets and showers out there!) and lend a hand as we cook up some top tucker tonight (dinner)! An ‘Aussie swag’ is available for those wishing to sleep under the stars!
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 – Kings Canyon to Uluru
The full 6km Kings Canyon rim walk takes 3 plus hours (and requires an early start!) led by your knowledgeable driver-guide. Admire the sandstone domes of the Lost City, sheer cliff top views along the North and South Walls and the almost tropical Garden of Eden. Our journey to Uluru passes the table-topped Mt Conner and a break at Curtin Springs Station Roadhouse, the only service point on the 300km drive from Kings Creek to Yulara. Lunch is en-route and the late afternoon takes in the Cultural Centre followed by sparkling wine at the Uluru sunset. Our campsite at Yulara also offers excellent facilities including permanent twin-share tents (swag option also available) and all that we need to prepare another tasty dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3 – Uluru & Kata Tjuta
Up nice and early for Uluru sunrise, followed by a choice of base walks (recommended) or the climb (the Anangu traditional owners request visitors not to). Of special interest are the many sacred sites around the Base, notably the Mala & Mutitjulu waterholes – small springs supporting life since the Dreamtime. We then hike and explore amongst the many sandstone domes at Kata Tjuta.
Either finish at Yulara at 12 noon (B) or stay aboard and arrive back in Alice Springs in the early evening (accommodation drop offs available).Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
From http://www.travelaust.com.au/adventure/nt/asp008.html
Now, I don’t want to talk too much about Uluru is because I would like to cover that in the posts post-Uluru, but I’ll give you some info here, a la wikipedia. Uluru is a ‘large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia.’ It is pretty strikingly remote, with the ‘nearest large town (being) Alice Springs; 450 km (280 mi) by road.’ It is also listed as a ‘World Heritage Sight’. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru).
Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons. The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high (863 m/2,831 ft above sea level) with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km (5.8 mi) in circumference. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great cultural significance for the Aṉangu Traditional landowners, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.
Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru).
For this trip I spent a large amount of money for a relatively short time, but I know it will be worth it. Many people never get the chance to get this far into Australia (even the locals!). This is the definition of ‘Outback’. Red rock, scorching sun, flat for miles; it will be like nothing I have ever seen before. I am extremely excited! Gotta stock up on memory cards and get a small, portable camera tri-pod! Oh, and look for a post or posts the following week after the trip.
Here are a few more interesting tidbits to leave you with…
Following text taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru.
Aṉangu continue to hunt and gather animal species in remote areas of the park and on anangu land elsewhere. Hunting is largely confined to the Red Kangaroo,Bush Turkey, Emu and lizards such as the Sand Goanna and Perentie.
Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park flora represents a large portion of plants found in Central Australia. A number of these species are considered rare and restricted in the park or the immediate region. There are many rare and endemic plants at Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
The growth and reproduction of plant communities rely on irregular rainfall. Some plants are able to survive fire and some are dependent on it to reproduce. Plants are an important part of Tjukurpa, and there are ceremonies for each of the major plant foods. Many plants are associated with ancestral beings.
Trees such as the Mulga and Centralian Bloodwood are used to make tools such as spearheads, boomerangs and bowls. The red sap of the bloodwood is used as a disinfectant and an inhalant for coughs and colds.
The park receives an average rainfall of 307.7 mm (12.1 in) per year, and average temperatures are 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) in the summer and 4.7 °C (40.5 °F) in the winter. Temperature extremes in the park have been recorded at 45 °C (113 °F) during the summer and −5 °C (23 °F) during winter nights. UV levels are extreme most days, averaging between 11 and 15.[8]
Local Aboriginal people recognise five seasons:
- Piriyakutu (August/September) – Animals breed and food plants flower
- Mai Wiyaringkupai (November/December) – The hot season when food becomes scarce
- Itjanu (January/February/March) – Sporadic storms can roll in suddenly
- Wanitjunkupai (April/May) – Cooler weather
- Wari (June/July) – Cold season bringing morning frosts
There are a number of differing accounts given, by outsiders, of Aboriginal ancestral stories for the origins of Uluru and its many cracks and fissures. One such account, taken from Robert Layton’s (1989) ULURU: An Aboriginal history of Ayers Rock,[10] reads as follows:
“Uluru (Ayers Rock) was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after rain. When they had finished their game they travelled south to Wiputa ..Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders” (Page 5)
Two other accounts are given in Norbert Brockman’s (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places.[11] The first tells of serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. The second tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru.
The local Aṉangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. They request that visitors not climb the rock, partly due to the path crossing a sacred traditional Dreamtime track, and also due to a sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors to their land. The Aṉangu believe they have a spiritual connection to Uluru, and feel great sadness when a person dies or is injured whilst climbing.
On 11 December 1983, the Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised to hand back the land title to the Aṉangu traditional owners and agreed to the community’s 10-point plan which included forbidding the climbing of Uluru. However, the government set access to climb Uluru and a 99-year lease, instead of the previously agreed upon 50-year lease, as conditions before the title was officially given back to the Aṉangu.[16]
Climbing Uluru is a popular attraction for visitors. A chain handhold added in 1964 and extended in 1976 makes the hour-long climb easier, but it is still a long (800 m/0.5 mi) and steep hike to the top, where it can be quite windy. An above-average level of fitness and a high tolerance to desert conditions is required. Climbing Uluru is generally closed to the public when high winds are recorded at the top. Over the years there have been at least 35 deaths relating to climbing incidents.
The Aṉangu also request that visitors do not photograph certain sections of Uluru, for reasons related to traditional Tjukurpa beliefs. These areas are the sites of gender-linked rituals, and are forbidden ground for Aṉangu of the opposite sex of those participating in the rituals in question. The photographic ban is intended to prevent Aṉangu from inadvertently violating this taboo by encountering photographs of the forbidden sites in the outside world.[17][8]
Tourist Drive, Akaroa, NZ
Tourist Drive, Akaroa, NZ
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
My New Favo(u)rite Politician
I frequent the Huffington Post; it’s the way I get my news these days. A few days ago I came across the headline of ‘Jesse Ventura-I Would Waterboard Cheney.’ I thought, “I’d pay money to see that!” (actually not…it would just be sad…) and clicked on the videos. I was amazed at what I saw. Larry King, one of the worst interviewers on television, was interviewing Jesse Ventura, a politician I’d heard a ton about but never listened to. Remember, the ex-professional wrestler that was elected governor of Minnesota back in ‘98?
After watching this interview Jesse Ventura became my new favorite politician. He covers torture (he was waterboarded in Navy SEAL training), drug legalization, the continuing Franken/Coleman battle, Cuban relations, Bush, Rush Limbaugh, gay marriage, Guantanamo Bay, and more. He’s one of the first politicians that I’ve heard speak his mind, and he was a successful politician! We need him back.
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Karori Sanctuary-Wellington, NZ
Karori Sanctuary-Wellington, NZ
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Picton to Wellington
Picton to Wellington
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Cannabis-Is its Illicit Status Appropriate?
Should cannabis be legalised in Australia? Your response should provide a considered discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of both legalisation and criminalisation which shows evidence of wide and varied reading.
Above is the essay question that I chose to address for an essay in ANTH106-Drugs Across Cultures. 40% of my grade, baby. After looking over the question again, I’m a bit nervous. I kinda focused more on why it should be legalised and decriminalised, not so much about the disadvantages. And I only used one of the sources that was recommended, with the others being other sources. Whatever. I’m pretty proud of it. This also isn’t what I turned in. The requirement was no more than 1500 words, and by the end of the rough draft I had nearly 2500. This is the real paper. Take a read if you have the time…
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Cannabis-Is its Illicit Status Appropriate?
Throughout history cannabis has consistently accompanied humanity. Ancient cultures used hemp to make clothing around 7000 years ago, and recently marijuana was discovered in a 2,700-year old tomb in the Gobi Desert (Viegas 2008). Cannabis was also ‘mentioned in ancient and religious Chinese and Indian texts’ (Cohen 2009). It is curious, then, that cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is illegal, and in most places a criminal offense. The question has been repeatedly asked over this decade-Is it valid for marijuana to be illegal?-and it is just beginning to be answered. It is time for marijuana to once again be legal and culturally accepted, as this would cut down on cannabis abuse, legitimize education on marijuana, and cease the marginalization of medical marijuana users, among other things.
When looking at the basic statistics of marijuana use, it would surprise even the most devout anti-drug proponent that an illegal substance is used so abundantly. In Europe, ‘5% of the total population are regular users in some countries’ (Iversen 2004), and in Britain ‘half of all young people have tried it (marijuana) at least once’ (Iversen 2004). According to a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in four young people ‘had used marijuana/cannabis in the previous 12 months’ (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2004).
A common argument for marijuana legalisation is the comparison of cigarettes and alcohol to marijuana. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘In 1998, around 19,000 deaths were attributable to the use of tobacco, accounting for 80% of all drug- or alcohol-related deaths,’ alcohol caused ‘2000 deaths among persons aged 0-64 years’, and ‘illicit drug use is associated with around 1,000 deaths per year in Australia’ (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2004). Marijuana falls in the ‘illicit drug’ category, but it is important to note that much more dangerous drugs such as heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine join it.
Proponents of keeping marijuana illegal may argue that smoking marijuana is more harmful to the body than cigarettes, ‘but to expose the lungs to the same amount of tar as an average 15–20 a day cigarette smoker, cannabis users would have to smoke 4–5 times a day every day of the week’ (Iversen 2004). Also, the majority of cannabis smokers quit when they enter their thirties, while cigarette-smokers do not (Iversen 2004).
Many governments have created panels and task-forces to investigate the true effects of marijuana. In 2000, an independent look at the British drug laws by the UK Police Foundation yielded this statement:
When cannabis is systematically compared with other drugs against the main criteria of harm (mortality, morbidity, toxicity, addictiveness and relation to crime), it is less harmful to the individual and society than any of the other illicit drugs or than alcohol or tobacco (cited in Iversen 2004).
The United States and countries such as France and Sweden have disagreed with this idea and believe that the best way to stop illicit drug use is to highly criminalize the ‘gateway’ to harder drugs. This method assumes that marijuana is a ‘gateway drug’ and that eliminating it would eliminate the graduation to harder drugs. This method seems to be failing, however, with United States ‘marijuana …arrests nearly doubl(ing) to 642,000 in 1996, from 1992’ (Flynn 1998).
The Dutch, on the other hand, have chosen the opposite route by legalizing marijuana. Their thinking is that if one legalizes a drug such as marijuana and makes a clear distinction between it and harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, the progression from marijuana to harder drugs will be halted (Iversen 2004). And it looks like it has worked. Heroin as well as cannabis use has decreased in the Netherlands, which is lower than many regions in the United States (Iversen 2004). More interestingly, ‘a …comparison of groups of cannabis users in Amsterdam and in San Francisco’ shows the differences in results of both the American method and Dutch method (Iversen 2004). ‘Whereas both groups of cannabis users consumed similar amounts of cannabis, and started at about the same age, the group in San Francisco experienced a significantly higher lifetime incidence of using other illegal drugs – cocaine, opiates and amphetamines-’ than those in Amsterdam (Iversen 2004). It is in these findings that the criminalization of marijuana is shown to be counteractive in its intent. If this strategy was employed in Australia, it is almost certain that its trends would follow that of the Netherlands and reduce the consumption of both cannabis and harder drugs.
One of the positive aspects of marijuana is its proven medical value. Cannabis has been shown to possess ‘effectiveness in controlling nausea and relieving symptoms of glaucoma, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis,’ (Gray 1998) as well as an appetite stimulant. Many stories of medical marijuana users are similar to that of Jean Charles Pariseau, whose profile was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal issue of February 10, 1998. Pariseau is an AIDS patient who requires an upwards of thirty pills a day. At his worst he was about 37 kilos, and had to ‘fight nausea and stimulate his appetite, but could not keep (his pills) down. He was bedridden and miserable. His physician… gave him less than 3 months to live’ (Gray 1998).
Pariseau had the option of taking marijuana in its pill form, (which is legal in Canada), but could not swallow the pill. He resorted to going the illegal route of smoking marijuana, and it saved his life. He smokes half an hour before he is to take his pills, and this has helped him to keep the pills down. ‘“Jean has a decent prognosis today,” reports Kilby, a family physician with an extensive palliative care practice who also serves as director of health services at his alma mater, the University of Ottawa. “He can now digest his medications. He has regained weight, recovered his appetite and can join his wife and child at the dinner table”’ (Gray 1998).
In this case marijuana greatly increased the quality of this man’s life, and possibly saved his life; however he is still at risk of purchasing cannabis with impurities, or being charged for being in possession of an illegal substance, the later which has occurred (Gray 1998). If marijuana were legalized at the very least for medicinal use, this would ensure that patients received proper, safe marijuana, in proper and safe conditions, and they wouldn’t be in danger of being arrested.
There are downsides to marijuana consumption, however. According to the New South Wales Government’s “Marijuana Factsheet”, marijuana may ‘make you see or hear things which are not there’ and ‘feel distant or separate from reality’ (New South Wales Health 2006). Long term effects listed include ‘an increase in the risk of getting bronchitis, lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory system, a decrease in motivation, decrease in concentration, memory, and ability to learn new things, (and) a decrease in sex drive’ (New South Wales Health 2006). These are all obviously negative side-effects and causes of marijuana, and these side-effects should be known.
Marijuana should be legalized in Australia for those over 18 and regulated, with the same health warnings being applied to the packaging of the cannabis substance as is done for cigarettes. It should be taxed, with the money going to educate people on the above-mentioned risks of marijuana consumption and to run treatment centres for those who abuse the substance. Regulation would make certain that the cannabis sold was safe, as currently there are ‘no limits on concentration, additives, or even the presence of pesticides’ (Inciardi 1999).
To many societies, and possibly Australia, legalization may be too extreme a measure. It is in these situations where marijuana should be decriminalized, with only a fine as punishment for possession. In the United States ‘there are more marijuana arrests annually than arrests for all violent crimes combined’ (Dubner 2007). Dr. Lester Grinspoon, associate professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and the author of Marijuana, the Forbidden Medicine and the groundbreaking Marihuana Reconsidered, provides illuminating insight to this statistic in stating, “While marijuana is, in fact, remarkably free of toxicity, the consequences of annually arresting 300,000 mostly young people were not” (cited in Dubner 2007).
This paper only covers marijuana, but the government of Portugal went so far as to ‘decriminalize the possession and use of all psychotropic drugs’ (Duke 2009) which include cocaine and LSD. The Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, DC, has published a study which concludes that ‘”judged by virtually every metric,” the Portuguese decriminalization “has been a resounding success”’ (cited in Duke 2009). In this instance, ‘decriminalization has both freed up funds for drug treatment and, by lifting the threat of criminal charges, encouraged drug abusers to seek that treatment’ (Duke 2009).
Arresting people for the possession of marijuana is counteractive. ‘The impact of criminalizing otherwise law-abiding, mainly young, citizens, the detrimental impact on their future lives and careers and damage to the relationship between police and communities also need to be taken into account’ (Iversen 2004). With marijuana possession being a criminal offense, those who use marijuana may feel as though the government is out of touch, and therefore may not pay attention to its warnings. If marijuana were decriminalized, or even better legalized, it would give the government taxation leverage and the ability to be a credible expert on the subject.
This paper does not advocate for the decriminalization or legalization of all drugs, but there does seem to be evidence that legalization and education as opposed to criminalization and punishment is a more successful way to help society understand and more responsibly handle drugs such as marijuana. Removing the stigma of cannabis would bring credibility back to the government on topics such as the dangers of marijuana, and tax dollars from marijuana sales would go towards education of marijuana consumption and the treatment of marijuana abuse. Those suffering from medical conditions where marijuana is the best solution for their ailments would cease to be ostracized.
Free will has always been an ultimate goal of humanity, and to award it in this situation would allow individuals to make appropriate decisions for themselves in their own interests. If marijuana was brought from the shadows to the light and its use treated as a reality and another normal function of humanity, there is no doubt much angst and suffering would be averted.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2004. http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/sdua04/sdua04-c01.pdf. (8 May 2009)
Cohen, P. 2009. ANTH 106:Cannabis Background. Macquarie University. Powerpoint Presentation.
Dubner, S. 2007. On the Legalization-or Not-of Marijuana. http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/on-the-legalization-or-not-of-marijuana/?scp=1&sq=marijuana%20legalization&st=cse. (8 May 2009).
Duke, S. 2009. Drugs. To Legalize or Not. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124061360462654683.html. (8 May 2009).
Flynn, K. 1998. Arrests Soar in Crackdown on Marijuana. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/17/nyregion/arrests-soar-in-crackdown-on-marijuana.html?scp=4&sq=marijuana%20arrests%20statistics&st=cse. (8 May 2009).
Gray, C. 1998. ‘Legalize use of marijuana for medical purposes, MDs and patients plead’. Canadian Medical Association Journal 158:373-375.
Inciardi, J. 1999. ‘The Marijuana legalization debate: Is there a middle ground?’ The Drug Legalization Debate 75-100.
Iversen, L. 2004.‘Cannabis and the Law-high time for reform?’ European Review 4:513-525.
New South Wales Health. 2006. Marijuana Factsheet. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/dpb/publications/pdf/factsheets/marijuana.pdf. (8 May 2009)
Viegas, J. 2008. World’s Oldest Marijuana Stash Totally Busted. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28034925/. (8 May 2009).
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I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue, as well as on my paper. Drop me a comment, let’s start a discussion!
Painting
I’m in the process of writing a paper on marijuana legalisation, and I felt that this would be the perfect time to post the lyrics to one of my favorite songs at the moment. It’s a song called ‘Painting’ by Atmosphere, and it has to do with alcohol. Check it out, he’s an amazing lyricist.
Ain’t no colour paint gonna cover the stains
The pictures on the wall will all remain
And even though he’s home now sound and safe
Surrounded by the faces that he place his faith
The images visit from the past he witnessed
Can’t stay away from the memories
sticks with each detail embedded in stone
like he chiseled stoves convictions into his bones
the progress stops and pauses spits and sputters
like the basement faucets
and it’s obvious he’s lost in his regrets,
you can smell it on his breathAin’t no colour paint gonna cover the stains
but now the alcohol is gonna mother the pain
Tuck it away, no complaints just laying on his back on his
backyard under the rain
Take tomorrow but doesn’t no how though for every swallow there’s another to follow
He weaves his way throughout the story
looking for a new missing piece or a door key
Spirits used to be for celebration
But now they just take him away from the hell that’s waiting
Re-up until it’s three sheets up
and pick a place for the skeletons to meet upAin’t no colour paint gonna cover the stains
But if the oxygen escapes it’ll smother the flames
No introduction doesn’t speak his own name
Gonna beat them demons at they own game
The sunset rides to the end slow
Same song echoing outside of the window
You can’t grow if the skin don’t fit you
Sometimes you gotta get low just to get through
No inspiration left to do your best when,
nobody hates you more than you’re reflection
Suffer the shame until it stuffs the drain
He’s got two hands and a bucket of paint, come on
Caring for Country-Aboriginal Land Management/Attitudes Towards Country
I finished this essay at around 2am last night after an AWESOME night of dancing in Greenwood, North Sydney. I’m not as proud of it as I am of most of my essays, as I kinda just threw it together, but it still might be interesting for those of you who don’t know about or are interested in the Aborigines…
Caring for Country
Aboriginal Australians are a unique people. For tens of thousands of years they have inhabited some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Extremely hot and dry deserts, poisonous and dangerous animals all are characteristics of their environment. It is due to these realities that the Aboriginal people had to adapt to their land and nearly become one with it. Caring for their environment and their knowledge of it became their specialty, livelihood and survival. It is because of this that the Australian Aborigines are some of the most knowledgeable people on the topics of caring for country, nature habitat and basic happenings of their environment.
To fully understand this topic it is first important to define what the Aborigines mean when they refer to ‘country’. To the Aborigines, country is a living thing more similar to a person than a location of inhabitance. Aborigines ‘talk about country in the same way that they would talk about person: they speak to country, sing to country, visit country, worry about country, feel sorry for country, and long for country’ (Rose 1996, p. 7). It is an entity to be cared for, looked after, and maintained. It has the ability to die, as well as to flourish and provide for those who rely upon it. In other words, ‘country is home, and peace; nourishment for the body, mind and spirit; heart’s ease’ (Rose 1996, p. 7).
Due to their intense bond with their environment Aboriginal religion and spirituality deals heavily with country. Their creation story, known as Dreamtime or the Dreaming, has many different versions due to the many different tribes, but all are characterised by elements of ‘country’. For instance, ‘the Aranda people of Central Australia believe that sometime in the distant past, sleeping superhuman beings, who were at the one time human and animal, spontaneously broke through the surface of a lifeless and cold earth.’ These ‘superhuman beings’ created guidelines for human behavior, among other things, and when finished, ‘returned to the rocks, trees and waterholes or to the sky’ (Broome 2002, p. 9).
Earth and country is the genesis and starting block of the Aboriginal creation story. It is because of this that most all of the Australian country is sacred to an Aboriginal tribe in some way. The country is their temple, their church, and they have spent the thousands of years they have occupied the land learning about and caring for it. There are many places where there are strict limitations and restrictions on certain activities to allow for the flourishing of flora and fauna. James Kohen, author of Aboriginal Environmental Impacts writes, ‘In many areas the sacred site is protected. No hunting, fishing, gathering or burning can take place within prescribed boundaries. Often the site is a nesting or breeding place. Dreaming sites thus function as refuges’ (Kohen 1995, p. 49).
For the Aborigines to survive they had to become extremely knowledgeable with their surroundings and interactions with animals. They came to learn where animals bred, when certain plants came to fruit, as well as very specific details about organisms that were essential to their survival. In one example, ‘during severe droughts the Bindibu people could find and catch frogs which stored water in their bodies from deep beneath the ground’ (Broome 2002, p. 14). Even in the most unforgiving circumstances the Aboriginal’s deep and vast knowledge kept them alive and well.
When the first settlers arrived in Australia they felt the Aborigines didn’t manage or take care of their land. They couldn’t have been further from the truth. According to Deborah Rose, ‘management of the life of the country constitutes one of Aboriginal people’s strongest and deepest purposes in life’ (Rose 1996, p. 10). As was stated before, the management and caretaking of the country is important to the Aborigines because it is their temple, but it was also their survival. Without their environment functioning in a way they understood their existence was doomed.
Deborah Rose continues, going on to write that ‘skilled and detailed use of fire, (along with others), were responsible for the long-term productivity and biodiversity of this continent. In addition to fire, other practices include selective harvesting, the extensive organization of sanctuaries, and the promotion of regeneration of plants and animals’ (Rose 1996, p. 10).
For thousands of years before the British arrived the Aborigines had employed a somewhat sophisticated method of management in the form of fires. They would burn areas of their land in order to stimulate the growth and reproduction of plants and animals and remove underbrush that would aid in possible unwanted fires. Also, burning was essential for many trees and plants because they ‘required fire, either in order to flower, or for their seeds to germinate’ (Rose 1996, p. 50).The burning also formed environments that were more suitable for kangaroo and large wallabies, who made up a large portion of the Aboriginal diet (Kohen 1995, p. 40).Physically, the burning “replac(e) mature forests with open woodlands and grasslands” (Kohen 1995, p. 49). The Aborigines, it seems, were very intensely in tune with their environment and knew how to tweak it to produce the best circumstances for their survival.
Although the Aborigines were gifted and cunning hunters, they were smart in that they knew that if they over-hunted their food source would be depleted. ‘Where there were deep valleys, running water and much timber, the natives invariably set aside some parts to remain as breeding-places or animal sanctuaries’ (Rose 1996, p. 50). Quite contrary to Western belief at the time, the Aborigines had in place strict conservation rules and practices that rivaled the sophistication of anything practiced in the Western world.
Aboriginal relations with their land has not changed over all these years, but it has become more difficult, and in some instances impossible, for them to manage their land as they had for tens of thousands of years. When the British came to settle Australia they interpreted the Aborigines’ nomadic lifestyle as not occupying or developing the land, and seized it from them. An Aboriginal elder is quoted as saying, “Sacred place, all over our Aboriginal land was sacred, but we see now they have made a map and cut it up into six states” (Kohen 1995, p. 35).
Another elder went to say, “White people just came up blind, bumping into everything. And put the flag; put the flag” (Rose 1996, p. 18). The settlers came to annex land that was occupied previously for tens of thousands of years, and did it with little-to-no thought of the Aborigines or their connections to their land and country. In 1835 legislation was declared saying that “the land belonged to no-one prior to the British crown taking possession” (Australian Government n.d.). It was at this moment that the ability of the Aborigines to manage their land was forbidden.Some of the ‘settlers’ first acts were to clear the land to ready it for development. The careful balance that the Aborigines had struck with the ecology of the land came tumbling down. ‘Once European settlement began in the Sydney area, the impact on the flora and fauna was almost immediate. Clearing of the land resulted in the loss of habitat for a wide range of animals, and they became locally rare’ (Kohen 1995, p. 107). Instead of creating sanctuaries and protecting the breeding grounds of these animals, the settlers ruined their habitats, and in turn depleted their food source.
The contrast between the Aborigines and the British impact on the land is summed up concisely and emotionally by Dame Mary Gilmore, the ‘daughter of one of the early Wagga Wagga settlers (Kohen 1995, p. 35). “…When I asked my father why we could not get fish as formerly, he said, ‘When the blacks went, the fish went;’ meaning that the habit of preserving the wild was destitute in the ordinary white settler” (Kohen 1995, p. 50).
At the root of the land management conflict and the changing of relations between the Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals in relation to country are the basic views towards the land and country that the Aborigines and British held. As was previously outlined, the Aborigines felt that the land was a living thing and that they were from and of the land. It is ‘a place that gives and receives life. Not just imagined or represented, it is lived with’ (Rose 1996, p. 7). They also felt that ‘those who destroy their country ultimately destroy themselves’ (Rose 1996, p. 10).
In relation to ownership, the Aborigines believe that ‘individual members of complementary skin groups have rights and responsibilities over specific Dreaming tracks and sites on the tracks’ (Walsh & Mitchell 2002, p. 9). The British, on the other hand, felt that land was to be owned and that it was nothing more than a place or a location. They also felt that it was irresponsible and somewhat savage to let land thrive and exist naturally without developing it. To them, land was to be divvied up and the maximum yield squeezed out of it.
At the time of settlement the British felt that the Aborigines ‘live(ed) in a state of nature (that) did not use the land in a progressive manner’ (Attwood 1996, p. X), and this set the tone for changing attitudes of the British and Aboriginals. The British didn’t respect or understand the sanctity of the land that the Aborigines observed, and started with clearing the country for their development. They were nearly the exact opposite of the Aborigines, who were ‘people (who) were land managers, not land exploiters’ (Kohen 1995, p. 128).
At the present day, the Aboriginal views and plans for the land directly clash with non-Aboriginal views and plans. When addressing the issue of whether or not there can be shared common land between the Aborigines and non-Aborigines, there seems to be no answer other than ‘no’. Both parties want different things for the land, and there is no option for coexistence. For example, one of the Aboriginals’ main desires is to preserve their land for religious and ritualistic practices. They would like to see the land untouched, except for their traditional management methods.
The non-Aborigines, on the other hand, would like to develop the land, putting in roads, housing settlements, and other characteristics of what they consider to be ‘civilization’. Mines are also a very big issue in the land-rights battles of Aborigines vs. non-Aborigines.
In many instances it is physically impossible for Aborigines and non-Aboriginals to share land. It is virtually impossible to keep land protected and in its ‘dreamtime’ state while simultaneously running a mine on the same land. The only way to somewhat ‘share’ the land is to declare parts of the country as Aboriginal land and other parts as non-Aboriginal land. That is the only way that these two parties can share Australia.
Rose is correct in asserting that ‘The notion of caring for country is quintessentially Aboriginal,’ and that ‘nowhere in the world is there a body of knowledge built up so consistently over so many millennia’. The Aborigines, over there tens of thousands of years on the Australian continent, have been forced to compile an extensive knowledge of their country and its management in order to survive in some of the most unforgiving land in the world. Their method of regeneration by burning, along with placing sanctuaries around breeding grounds, shows their deep and intimate knowledge of their environment.
REFERENCES
Attwood, B 1996, In the age of mabo: history, aborigines, and australia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Australian Government n.d., European discovery and the colonization of australia, viewed 16 March 2009, http://cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/australianhistory/.
Broome, R 1994, Aboriginal australians: black responses to white dominance, 1788-1994, Dah Hua Printing, Hong Kong.
Kohen, J 1995, Aboriginal environmental impacts, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.
Rose, D 1996, Nourishing terrains: australian aboriginal views of landscape and wilderness, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra.
Walsh, F & Mitchell, P 2002, Planning for country-cross-cultural approaches to decision making on aboriginal lands, IAD Press, Alice Springs.
Near Akaroa, NZ
Near Akaroa, NZ
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
internet compressssssssssssssion. lkladljsfflsadf
Leura Cascades, Blue Mountains, Australia
Leura Cascades, Blue Mountains, Australia
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Castle Hills, New Zealand
Castle Hills, New Zealand
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
Favorite Oz Club Music
This past weekend I spent the night at Reese’s, and the following morning he burned me a few cd’s of my favorite music I’ve heard here, all of which they play in the clubs that we’ve hit up. Check ‘em out below, I freakin’ LOVE these tunes! The last song isn’t Australian, but it’s one of my favorites. You’ve gotta listen to it. Turn up your computer speakers, dial up the sub-woofer, and get ready to boogie!
Off Tourist Road, Akaroa, New Zealand
Off Tourist Road, Akaroa, New Zealand
Originally uploaded by PeterJosef
An Unexpected Relationship Part II-Genesis Realized
DISCLAIMER-Those who read the below text forfeit their right to be mad/frustrated/angry with the author.
An Unexpected Relationship Part I
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I have been single for one year, five months and a few days. I feel petty and immature for calculating that number, and more-so for the effect that it has on me. I am a person who requires intense relationships in order to flourish, relationships with deep love, caring, intense debate among trying topics, and shared experiences. I have many wonderful friends who I have made and retained over the years, but for some odd reason these relationships, as loving and wonderful as many of them are, don’t have the same intensity that dating relationships have.
The month before I left for Australia I had this thirst quenched by a quite unlikely source-my good friend Nick. I feel awkward to saying that, and it will no doubt be awkward for Nick to read, but we have been through a great deal together. I have known him since kindergarten, and since then we have changed drastically from the preps we were in middle school-him to the more artistic, drama-ish side of the cultural/clique landscape, and me to…well, whatever the heck I am. He is about as close as I have to a (human) brother (Beau will forever hold that absolute distinction), and my relations with him quench my appetite for an intense bond.
Now, as I’ve thought about this, it occurs to me that what takes years upon years to build in a friendship seemingly takes mere weeks to build in a romantic relationship. Maybe this is just me. I enter romantic relationships with full intensity, as if the act of commencing a dating relationship directly precedes marital engagement (which I understand is wrong and misguided…I’m working on it!). A bond is created, whether through physical interactions, social or emotional. I latch onto that person and try to create a one-ness of stories and feelings and experiences. (I just got this vision, and it’s quite out there, and has to do with Harry Potter. Haha. Alright, so, the Pensieve. You know, that stone bowl where Dumbledore extracts memories from one’s brain to be viewed? Ok, so, I think of it as extracting our memories and thoughts and ideas and experiences and mixing them in a bowl, creating one mixture. Too weird? Yeah, I thought so…must be the lack of sleep…)
Anyway, I have been lacking this bond with a female for the above-mentioned period of time, and it has really started to kind of get to me. Not ‘get to me’ in the way that it’s affecting me psychologically or physically or whatever, but getting to me in the way of me thinking, “Jeeze, it’s about time!” It would be so awesome to have somebody to just chill with, let out my worries and frustrations, direct love and affection towards, and have someone who is a part of me. That’s kind of what happens when you date somebody; they become a part of you. Your choice of dating them reflects back on to you and defines who you are. I miss that. I miss having that other piece.
It’s no surprise then that the prospect brought about by hundreds of emails, hour-plus long Skype sessions and ridiculously expensive phone calls to a female I’m interested in back home in Eugene is quite exciting for me. Love truly does add an extra perfumed, fuzzy, warm and exciting layer to life. Not love in the sense of ‘I will go to the depths of the earth for you’ or ‘I am committed to you always’ or anything like that; love in the sense of wanting to be in someone’s presence so desperately and it gnawing away at you, having them on your mind way too much, and going out of your way to do something that to the outside observer seems petty or ridiculous, but that shows that other person that you just can’t get them out of your head and that you care for them. That kind of love.
Chloë and I have been fantasizing about our meeting in Eugene and what a joyous and absolutely out-of-this-world experience it will be. The visualization was of us in a park seeing each other, and her running towards me. (I always thought it would be funny if she tripped at the end. That always gives us a good laugh!) We had dreamt of what it would be like to meet here; while I was walking around by the Opera House and bumping into her or something. How crazy would that be? Anyway, we pretty much had it planned out-a park in Eugene, on the river, talking for hours.
Recently I received an e-mail from her, as per usual, from which the following is excerpted:
I’ve got some possible good news – but I’d rather make you anxious and not tell you;-)
And then when I didn’t acknowledge it,
PETER I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. Remind me to tell you when we skype. actually…i won’t forget soooo I’m a little upset – i totally pulled the “I have a secret but I’m not going to tell you” – and you didn’t get upset!!
Needless to say I got the message, so we set a time to Skype the morning I was to arrive in Sydney from NZ.
The morning before our date I had awoken in Wellington at 4am, flown to Sydney, hopped the train and then lugged my luggage up to the apartment. I got all ready, made sure I had showered, shaved, and looked relatively ‘fresh’, and opened the connection to America. The screen was black, then flickered green. Her face finally popped up on the screen, lagging with the audio, tripped-up somewhere over the Pacific.
We greeted each other warmly and excitedly (and with a little flutter of the heart). I filled her in on New Zealand, and she brought me abreast to life in the Willamette Valley. I then remembered and asked, “Oh, what is it that was your big surprise or whatever?” She looked at me and kind of smiled, then silence. I was expecting her to tell me she had been made Prom Queen, or that she had gotten a nice scholarship to Corvallis, or something of the sort.
She took a deep breath. ”I’m going to Australia…I’m gonna be in Sydney”.
My face dropped from a smile into a gaping expression of wonderment. “What? Holy &!$%, when?”
“June”, she replied, half-giddily, half-cautiously.
“Holy &!$%, holy &!$%”, I repeated slowly but excitedly with disbelief. Our ridiculous, far-fetched fantasy now had glimmers of reality.
She explained that her parents had decided that because she was awarded a free-ride scholarship to the U of O they would reward her by giving her her dream trip as a graduation present. Chloë has always been obsessed with New Zealand and digs on Australia. Her parents felt she had connections here and that she could also fulfill her secondary dream of travelling down under with her friend Katie, also a fantasy of many years.
Chloë also has a random older friend who is Australian and he has a few sons in Sydney. Her plan was to stay with one of them, which sent pangs of jealousy through me. I wanted to invite her to stay with me but wasn’t sure how she would react to that or how my flat mates would feel about it. It was better than nothing, of course, so I stuffed those feelings down my throat and out of my consciousness.
For the next week or so we exchanged e-mails that expressed our excitement and our incredulity and threw some ideas and questions around for the upcoming trip. I then received this e-mail.
Alright so we’ve got a little change of plans… Katie woke me up at 8 this morning to tell me that she can’t go anymore…
Her dad is making her work. Ugh. So I layed in bed for like 800 years just thinking and I feel like it would be so incredible lame to pass up an experience like this – somewhere I’ve always dreamt I would be - that my parents are offering, just because my friend can’t go. But that also completely changes things. I talked with my mom for a long time this morning too and she told me she’s not sure how much she trusts those sons I was telling you about. We talked with my dad too and he pretty much told me that I was still going – it didn’t even phase him that katie couldn’t go anymore. But like I said, that changes things. Okay, I feel like I’m beating around the bush – my parents want me to be with you. To … experience sydney with you. And I would love that, but I want you to really think about it too. Would it be weird AT ALL? I don’t want you to feel obligated to care for me. If I came by myself I’d want both of us to be just…comfortable. I’m also thinking I could turn it into a dance trip. Like, check out different ballroom studios/make connections/take private lessons. My mom thought that was kind of a lame idea though – she thinks I’ll regret dancing instead of just kind of living it up down there. I always feel like a need a mission though. I still really want to do this. But yea…it changes things, that’s for sure. Let me know what you’re thinking. I hate not being able to see your reactions, I always read them.
She was coming alone! IT WOULD BE JUST US! This was perfect, and it just blew me away how all of this was happening. There are certain instances in which things just completely fall into perfect order-like dropping a handful of jig-saw puzzle pieces onto a table and having them miraculously land aligned-and I am convinced God has a hand in this. (What does that mean knowing that she is an atheist, I wonder…?)
Then, a few days later…
Alright, so my mom came to me this morning and said that dad and her talked about the trip last night. They’re okay with me going alone but they also feel uncomfortable trusting you when they’ve never met you. They know that they can, but like my mom was saying – if she were to call me and I didn’t answer, so she called you and you didn’t know where I was – she would freak out. And she doesn’t want to put you in that situation. They still seem pretty okay with me going alone, but my mom also brought up that they talked about her going with me. Hah. But before I could even respond she told me that she just wants to be there as backup. She said I could still stay with you, do whatever – she just wants to know that if …something happens, she’ll be on the same continent. Also, if i wanted to fly off to another part or NZ, she could do that with me. Reh. So that somewhat dappens the me “roughing it” aspect, but I’m sure the discussions not even close to being over. When are your finals? Haha my mom felt bad that she was considering coming and that I would have to tell you that, but I have to understand, I guess. I know she’d still let me be independent. La la la so much to plan!!
I was at first a little disappointed after reading this e-mail, but for some reason it soon calmed me. For one, I’m a master with parental relations, and I am glad that I’ll be able to instill confidence in her for me. I don’t want her parents fretting that she is hanging out and somewhat at the mercy of some guy she really hasn’t hung out with EVER, and who she pretty much only knows through cyber interactions.
I also know the great amount of stress that having a parent in the vicinity relieves, even if Chloë were to never see her. It gives one a safety-net of sorts, financial, emotional and practical, in the case that anything went wrong.
Along with the excitement is a lurking sense of fear. Fear that our interactions won’t be as wonderful or easy or compatible as they are through e-mail, Skype and phone. That she’ll see an ugly side in me, or I in her. We really have no idea of what to expect, and this is the cause of the nervousness. But excitement is the positive form of nervousness, and man am I excited about meeting up with her here!
So that’s pretty much where we’re at. And pretty much all I’m thinking of these days. At the moment we’re in the planning stages: I’m looking into Opera House shows and rugby games that will be on while she is here, as well as talking about the Blue Mountains and other things she will want to do. I’ve also talked to Reese about getting an extra mattress for her.
This is an incredible whirl-wind of emotions and feelings, and man am I excited. I think it would be good to end this post with this little recollection. After the excitement of all of this Chloë made it clear that she didn’t want to disrupt the end of my trip, or take me away from anything that I wanted to do. This felt absolutely ridiculous to me, and I made the following clear. She has been a part of this trip. The daily e-mails, the Skype sessions, surprise phone calls-these things have all come to add to the memories of this experience. Going forward I will never think of my first time in Australia without thinking of Chloë and the unique and improbable relationship we have formed. Her arriving in Australia towards the end of my time here will be the perfect story-book ending to this story-book affair.
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Note-This publication has been approved by the subject.
